The End of Another Story
by Impashence
Summary: Dragon's Bait, Vivian Vande Velde AxS Not a whole lot to say... just please read... xD Rated T just to be safe. Romance... dance... its AU.. not a continuation of the original.


A/N: Hey you guys! Sry for waiting to long to update. I know, I need to update my other story… but this is just a plot bunny that attacked me one night. The other one is still in the making. :)

Just to give you some background and important info before you read:

This in no way (at the moment at least) is connected to my other story. I want you to read it as separate and VERY different plotline from the other one. UNDERSTOOD? great.

Also, Alys is now 19. This is four years after they meet. (Alys is fifteen then) I had to speed it up, and you will see why at the end. hehe

Ok, so I think that's it. Have any questions? Plot ideas? Fanart? ;) PM me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawk Song, Dragon's Bait, etc. (thanks to emeralddarkness for the reminder!)

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**The End of Another Story**

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The party had begun. Eyes shining in the darkness, Alys stepped from behind the small side curtain. The music was lovely, the room calmingly dark and warm. There were no windows in this room, as there were in her own, but the intricately woven wall hangings added to the richness of the great hall. Gingerly moving past two other young women, Alys walked over to stand among the crowd of people. It was hard to maneuver with her feet in high heels and her hips pinched by the revealing dress. That was another thing in itself. The ladies of the court, or dragonesses, Alys wasn't sure—anyhow, they were Selendrile's family—had given her the best dress in the closet, befitting a lady of the court. Embarrassed at the attention she was receiving, Alys had refused adamantly, saying that she didn't deserve such rich clothing. She had pleaded instead for a deep blue dress hidden in the corner of the closet.

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"I want this one!" She declared. There were tiny amethysts sewn into the sides and along the hem of the dress. The pattern at the center and running down the sides alternated in size of amethyst, from large to small, swirling around the hips to the hem from the neck. Its simple elegance dazzled her even more than the one they had chosen for her. The lady in charge came over to her at once, finally noticing her. The bustling of the other girls must have distracted her.

She came over, giving the dress a rather disdainful glance.

"Darling, that is much to simple a dress for this occasion. You are the guest of honor. Let me have that." She reached for it, but Alys drew back.

Obstinately, she said, "Please, just let me keep it."

"Alright dear," the lady said, shaking her head, "but please, wear the one we picked out for you. It will do for tonight. Trust me."

Alys sighed, resignedly. "Very well."

She let the ladies dress her in the deep purple and indigo dress. It was gorgeous she realized. Diamonds decorated _this_ dress, except they were much more pronounced. The dress hugged her form unmercifully. Uncomfortable under the stares of the other women in the room, Alys fiddled with her hands in front of her. They had done her golden brown hair up into a cascading ponytail, and the dress, she knew, was in the style of the dragon court: slim and form fitting. Alys herself was not a particularly shapely or thin girl. She had always thought that she was somewhere in the middle…until now. The ladies were appraising her curves and blushing and ooing and ahing at her.

"The young prince will not be disappointed." she heard some of them whisper.

_Who? And what snobby prince judges women by how they look?_

But there was no time for pondering. Alys was turned around swiftly my the head lady to look at herself in the mirror

"What do you think child?"

Alys gawked at the strange person in the mirror. Never before had she worn anything this elegant. Blushing at her appearance, she thought briefly about what Father Joseph would have said, had he seen her in this.

_Shame on you child!_

But she was whisked away from the mirror just as quickly by strong, firm hands.

The head lady rushed her from the room, slipping thin white sandals onto her feet. "You will match your partner well." She whispered into Alys' ear.

_My partner? _

**----------**

People were beginning to notice her. Alys swallowed hard as surrounding eyes were suddenly directed her way. She was very aware now of the steep neckline on the refined dress. Color lit her cheeks, and she pushed her way through the crowd. The crowd parted abruptly on either side of her, emotionless eyes staring out at her from the sea of faces. The direction of the stares changed with the melodic sound of a horn. Murmurs went through the crowd.

The prince was here.

Alys followed the gazes of those around her to see him, and then gasped in surprise. It was Selendrile. His golden hair hung freely and he was dressed in colors much like her own. A deep bluish purple silk shirt hung from his shoulders and was tucked neatly into deep blue pants. Everything about his appearance made Alys' heart flutter in her chest. _He looks so majestic. So regal_. He was staring at her as well, she finally realized. And then, looking around, she saw that she was alone in the center of the floor. Isolated. Everyone's attention was on her. Mustering as much pride as possible, Alys stood straighter, and tried to look calm as he approached. Their eyes locked, and Alys remembered, _"You will match your partner well."_

_Me?_

Finally he reached her. Alys went down into the deepest curtsy she knew, as gracefully as possible. Selendrile reached out and pulled her up to him. Almost intimately close. Alys turned bright red. She thought she saw a flicker of amusement in eyes before he leaned forward to kiss her on her corner of her jaw. The place where his lips touched her skin throbbed with a very hot, burning sensation. As his face was leaving hers, he whispered into her ear.

"Put your arms around my neck and please _try _to look natural." His voice was cold and yet somehow reassuring. Hearing it brought her back to reality, and she found that she could move again.

Pushing down her qualms about being the center of everyone's attention, Alys gathered the courage to reach up and link her arms behind his neck, planting a gossamer kiss on his cheek. More murmuring floated among the guests, but music drowned out the murmuring, and soon Alys found herself soaring around the room, dancing closely with Selendrile to the sound of foreign stringed instruments. Others began to dance as well, filling the empty floor. There was almost no space between them, and although Alys knew the dances through his teaching, she was nervous.

This dance was her personal favorite. It was slow to start with, but picked up suddenly in the middle. It became less and less fast-paced, ending with a smooth bow and

Selendrile smiled for the first time that night, a cold appraising look lighting his features. Looking down at her he chuckled. Alys was even more conscious of the steep neckline now.

"The ladies went all out on you," he smirked, "and the dress fits you perfectly." Selendrile's voice was deep and throaty, but strangely sincere.

_A compliment? **From him**?_

Heat crept up her face and she hid her it against his shoulder as the dance progressed. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"I chose the dress, but I'm not sure it was such a good idea." he added, "You will be getting stares from other men, not **just** me. I might get jealous." Selendrile said the last part of the sentence with a glint in his eyes that made a chill run down her spine. He gave a short laugh at her widened eyes and defensive expression. But his face took on a appearance of infuriatingly wide-eyed innocence that made her desire to punch him lessen just enough to not do so in front of his guests.

If it was possible to turn an even brighter red, she did so. _How embarrassing. _

It was then that she remembered.Her head came up suddenly, eyes aflame. "You never told me we would be getting married here! You need to tell me these things if you don't want to confuse the situation." Alys whispered quietly and angrily. "I had people giving me wedding presents all day, and I had no idea what they were for."

Selendrile began to laugh silently again and took advantage of the situation, kissing the bridge of her nose gently. Alys gave up; she was just going to have to stay red all night. She looked away.

He steered them out of the dancing into the crowd and walked with her to a corner of the room where they could talk. Once there, he backed away slightly to give her some room. They were still holding hands.

"But we _are_ married."

"Since when?"

"Since I put the ring on your finger this afternoon. It's still there, Alys." She looked down. The bright green emerald was inlaid in silver, and shone brightly under the torchlight. "Must I remind you that I presented you and our marriage to my parents this afternoon?"

"Those dragons were your **_parents_**?"

"Yes!" He said laughingly.

"But…" Ohhhh… she felt brainless. Of course they were his parents… The largest golden dragons here, the most richly dressed people sitting at the head of the room…

Completely humiliated, Alys tucked her face into his shoulder. "I'm sorry." She mumbled.

Without an answer or even acknowledgement of her words, Selendrile pulled her back onto the dance floor. In a whirl of color and noise, Alys found herself back in the confusion of the tireless dragon-people before her.

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The hallways were damp and chilly now as she walked to her room. His hand was the only warmth other than the occasional torch sticking out from the cold stone walls. Finally they reached her room, and Selendrile stopped, turning to her. He wasn't looking quite at her, and the set of his jaw betrayed his nervousness. Alys smiled gently, cherishing the rare moment of being more confident than her male companion. But her confident manner did not last very long. As she opened the door and began to go inside, he caught her hand.

"Alys…" Even his voice sounded unsure. "May I join you tonight? I only want to sleep next to you; nothing more, I promise." Alys turned in the doorway, surprised. Selendrile was not the type of person to make a request like that. She had assumed early on that she would not be wanted as a wife because of her situation; she had nothing to offer. But his voice held sincerity, and Alys saw no reason to withhold the night from her companion. It was his wedding night. Of course he would want to spend it with his wife.

"But can I trust your promise? You do lie—"

He cut her off defensively, a serious look passing over his features. "But not about things like this."

Alys sighed, laughing inwardly. Of course she was teasing him. She knew him well enough by now to know that he would never lie to _her. _Even if he was a dragon, he harbored the male pride she had often seen in the young men at her village.

Smiling, she locked eyes with him and said softly, "Yes. You may."

The apprehensive look on his face became relieved and then mischievous as he smiled and followed her into the room. He went over to a chest at the end of her bed and opened it, pulling off his shirt and tossing it inside. Alys instinctively turned around, a habit formed during the five years they had traveled together.

Both began to get ready for bed, him in soft silky slacks and her in a silky nightshift. She changed in the luxurious bathroom and he in the main room. Alys looked into the clear glass covering one of the walls. The ponytail came out rather easily, and she brushed her hair with one of the many jeweled combs on the countertop, thinking.

_Married. For real. _She smiled sadly at herself. _Hopefully the adventures won't end here, though. _

Her inner voice bubbled up, laughing. _Marriage with him will never be boring, Alys!_

_I know. _

She walked back into the room to find him sitting on the bed, basking in the moonlight, eyes closed. The candles and torches were out, leaving a white glow to illuminate her path to the bed.

Alys crawled into the immense bed as it immediately sunk under her. _So soft and comfortable. _She had never slept in the same room as anyone, excluding her father. He turned towards her and Alys smiled at the silhouette he created against the window of the room. She slipped farther under the covers, pulling the comforter over her head. He was not wearing a shirt. She blushed for the hundredth time that night.

Selendrile gave a small, deep laugh. "Should I be flattered by your charming blush, darling?" He said it tenderly into her ear, making it tingle. She had forgotten that he could see very clearly in the dark. The sarcasm was still evident, even if his words turned her countenance scarlet.

"Yes, you should be," she replied in a playful tone, "I'm the only girl who would ever give you the time of day." As she said this, she reached out to his face and brushed a hand across his cheek. His look turned serious, and he held her hand there. Seeing her smile, Selendrile gave here a rare genuine one as well, tucking the hair behind her ear as he pulled her face to his in the darkness. His eyes glowed violet and they were the last thing that Alys saw before he kissed her. Her eyes closed. In all the years they had spent together, this was the second time. Except, Alys realized, this was the first real one. Heat poured into her from his mouth like fire, and she began to heat up like a furnace. The kiss was simple, and yet intense. At last, she was the one to break away, and it was only to get some air. Selendrile smiled down at her and Alys returned it with her own before tucking the back of her head into his shoulder. His hands came up to her hair to play with the strands as he breathed out contentedly. It was a wonderful feeling. Alys giggled, turning her back to him so that she could finally go to sleep. His laugh resonated in her ears.

_He was never like this. What made him change?_

"Goodnight."

_You did._

"G'night." She murmured sleepily.

_But how?_

_The irresistible pull on his heart that you inspire whenever he sees you. It's called love, Alys. _

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The End…

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! R&R…


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